What Coffee Brothers does

Coffee Brothers is a family-owned coffee roasting company headquartered at 1204 E Vía Roma in Colton, California, established in 1985 by two Italian-born brothers. The company operates an 11-50 employee business that roasts and distributes Italian-style coffee through three channels: direct-to-consumer e-commerce on coffeebrothers.com with flat-rate nationwide US shipping, wholesale B2B supply to Southern California restaurants and cafes, and a community fundraising program supporting local schools and nonprofits.

The company's core technology is a custom-made Italian roaster that uses hot air flowing through coffee beans inside a double-insulated layered drum, providing uniform heat dispersion. Each variety is roasted individually before blending, and roasting is intentionally non-computer-controlled so that batches can be tailored manually. Coffee is packaged immediately after roasting to preserve freshness, with peak flavor reached at approximately three days post-roast. The product portfolio spans roughly 20 retail SKUs of single-origin coffees (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Kona), blends (Espresso Classico, Alba Blend, French Roast, Sunrise Blend, House Blend, Breakfast Blend, Espresso Intenso), Fair Trade Organic variants, decafs, flavored coffees, and Keurig-compatible Kcups. Equipment revenue comes from capsule espresso machines priced at $138 and bundled machine-plus-capsule packages at $163.80, offered in multiple colors. Sourcing is structured through the Growers First Coffee partnership, which connects the company to smallholder farmers across five Latin American origins with documented fair-trade and sustainable-agriculture commitments.

Coffee Brothers generates revenue primarily through one-time unit-priced sales of coffee ($10-$32 per 12oz bag), hardware ($138-$182 per machine), and wholesale delivery to commercial accounts. Coffee is sold as whole bean or ground, with no evidence of subscription, SaaS, or recurring-license revenue. The Wholesale and Fundraising pages function as B2B and community-engagement channels respectively. Headcount (11-50 employees), single California location, and lack of disclosed institutional capital indicate a bootstrapped, small-business operating model with regional roots rather than venture-backed scale ambitions, although nationwide e-commerce shipping extends the addressable customer base across the United States.

Name

Coffee Brothers

Legal name

Coffee Brothers Inc.

Website

https://coffeebrothers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coffee Brothers is a family-owned coffee roaster founded in 1985 in Colton, California. It sells traditionally roasted Italian-style coffee beans, K-cups, and espresso machines via e-commerce to consumers nationwide and wholesale to Southern California restaurants and cafes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Roasting

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Single-Serve Coffee (Pods, Capsules) (CRADAHAH)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee roasting
• Espresso equipment sales
• Coffee wholesale supply
• Fair trade coffee
• Single origin coffee

Headquarters

HQ city

Colton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Coffee Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of roasted coffee beans through e-commerce website. Products include various blends, single origins, Fair Trade Organic options, and flavored coffees in multiple sizes.
2. Equipment Sales: Sale of espresso machines and capsule equipment in multiple colors, along with Kcup varieties.
3. Wholesale: B2B sales to businesses including restaurants and other establishments in Southern California.
4. Fundraising Support: In-kind support and silent auction certificates or coupons provided to local schools and nonprofit organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Coffee Brothers is a family-owned coffee roaster founded in 1985 that traditionally roasts 100% arabica Italian-style coffee beans — including single-origin, blended, Fair Trade Organic, decaf, and flavored varieties — and sells them through its own e-commerce storefront, wholesale to Southern California restaurants and cafes, and through capsule espresso machines and Kcups. Each variety is roasted individually on a custom-made Italian roaster with a double-insulated layered drum, and beans are packaged immediately after roasting for maximum freshness.

Product overview

Coffee Brothers is a family-owned coffee roasting company established in 1985 in Southern California, offering a portfolio of traditionally roasted coffee products and espresso equipment. The product portfolio consists of: (1) Retail coffee products including single-origin coffees from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, and Kona regions; blended coffees such as Espresso Classico, Alba Blend, Breakfast Blend, French Roast, House Blend, and Sunrise Blend; Fair Trade Organic (FTO) certified variants; decaf versions of popular blends; and flavored coffees including Hawaiian Hazelnut, French Vanilla, and Vanilla Nut Cream; (2) Espresso equipment including capsule espresso machines available in multiple colors and bundled machine-plus-capsule packages; (3) Services including retail sales, wholesale B2B supply, equipment sales, and a fundraising program supporting local schools and nonprofits. The company uses a custom-made Italian coffee roaster with hot air flowing through beans and double-insulated layered drum for uniform heat dispersion, roasting each coffee variety individually before blending.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Espresso Classico 1Kg 100% arabica blend in a traditional Italian recipe composed of five different coffee varieties roasted individually before blending. Medium roast with strong, smooth, rich flavor, great crema, and a chocolaty aftertaste. Priced at $31.00 for 1kg.
• Espresso Machine and Espresso Capsules Bundle Bundled package combining an espresso machine with one box of espresso pods (choice of Espresso Classico or Espresso Intenso), available in Black, Red, Hot Pink, White, Royal Blue, and Neon Green. Regular price $182.00, sale price $163.80 (25% off).
• Espresso Capsule Machine Capsule-based espresso machine available in multiple colors for home use. Priced at $138.00.
• Alba Blend Medium roasted coffee popular with restaurants, featuring deep rounded smooth flavor and mild acidity. Priced at $23.00.
• French Roast The darkest roast offered by Coffee Brothers, for strong coffee lovers. Deep smooth flavor with smokey undertones, a slight hint of nutty caramel, and no acidity. Priced at $23.00.
• Espresso Intenso

Quantifiable outcome

• Coffee reaches optimum flavor at about 3 days after roasting and remains good for 2-3 weeks

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Growers First CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee Brothers participates in the Growers First Coffee program, which supports coffee farmers through fair prices, training on sustainable farming methods, and direct market access. The program helps impoverished farming families improve crop management through agronomist training, business support, and connecting farmers with roasters. Coffee Brothers sources from farmers in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, and Colombia through this partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Counter Culture Coffee: Independent specialty roaster selling single-origin and blended coffees through DTC and wholesale to restaurants and cafes. Shares Coffee Brothers' direct-trade sourcing ethos and wholesale-to-foodservice model.
• Verve Coffee Roasters: California-based specialty coffee roaster with a comparable mix of DTC e-commerce, wholesale to cafes, and direct-to-consumer beans. Similar scale and craft-focused positioning make it a close operational analogue to Coffee Brothers.
• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Iconic third-wave roaster offering direct-trade beans, Kcups, and wholesale foodservice supply. Now under Peet's, it represents the scaled-up version of the artisan-roaster model Coffee Brothers operates.
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Specialty roaster with direct-trade sourcing, DTC e-commerce, and a strong wholesale-to-cafe channel. Highly comparable on craft positioning, single-origin emphasis, and B2B foodservice supply.
• Equator Coffees: Specialty roaster focused on fair-trade and direct-trade sourcing, with DTC, wholesale, and cafe operations. Closely mirrors Coffee Brothers' Growers First-style sourcing narrative and B2B foodservice focus.

Broad incumbents

• Peet's Coffee: Established national specialty coffee brand operating across DTC, grocery, foodservice, and cafes. Represents the scaled competitive benchmark for category positioning and pricing in U.S. specialty coffee.
• La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Larger specialty roaster with DTC, wholesale, and cafe operations including draft latte RTD beverages. Demonstrates the scale trajectory available to a specialty roaster that invests in brand and channel expansion beyond its origin market.
• Keurig Dr Pepper: Dominant single-serve coffee platform whose Keurig machines define the Kcup-compatible ecosystem in which Coffee Brothers' Kcup line competes. Controls critical distribution and licensing terms for third-party pods.
• Nespresso (Nestlé): Proprietary capsule coffee platform with hardware-plus-pod business model. Directly comparable to Coffee Brothers' espresso machine and capsule bundle offering, and a primary competitive threat in single-serve.

Regional players

• Groundwork Coffee Co. Los Angeles-based specialty roaster with deep SoCal wholesale penetration and organic/FTO coffees. Operates in Coffee Brothers' core Southern California wholesale arena and competes head-to-head for restaurant and cafe accounts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coffee-brothers-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coffee Brothers